Why use PDF forms?

As you start planning your form, one of your first decisions iswhether you're going to create an HTML form or a PDF form.Now I'm going to assume, since your watching this course, you're atleast considering PDF forms but let's take a look at the differences.Here's an HTML form, you can see that it has fields where I can enter my name, asubject, my email address and then a brief messageand then when I'm finished I can press the submitbutton and it'll send that data to the recipient.Here's a PDF version of the same form.

It has fields where I can enter my name,the subject, my email address, a multi-lined field where Ican enter my message and again, a submit button, sothat I can send this information back to the recipient.So, is one solution better than the other?Well, let's look at the differences.I think it's important to compare these features.How easy it isto design the form that you want, how you distribute that form so that youcan get information back, and then how you capture that data and make use of it.As far as designing the form, if you're comfortablein an HTML editor, well then, making an HTML formmakes sense to you, but if you're not comfortablein HTML editors, then PDF becomes a more attractive solution.

So, for example, if you're comfortable in Microsoft Word.You can design your underlying artwork in Word.Make a PDF.Take that into Acrobat, and add the form fields.The same thing goes for Adobe InDesign or Adobe Illustrator.And there's something really nice about Adobe InDesign.Starting with version CS6, there areactually built in form capabilities within InDesign.And that means that you can build a lot of your formcomponents in InDesign, and then, sort of, finish it off in Acrobat.Now, there are some things that InDesigncan't do, like create fields that calculate, but you can just createmost of your fields in InDesign and then finish it off inAcrobat and there's actually some nice things in InDesign that make ita little bit easier in some respects than Acrobat for designing forms.

And of course, I'm going to show you that later on.But in truth, if you have Adobe Acrobaton your computer, you have an Acrobat target printer.That you can print to from anyapplication, and what that means is that intheory, any application can be used to design your form, andthen you make a PDF and finish it off in Acrobat.As far as deploying the form, of course if it's an HTMLform, you can view it in a web browser, you can hostit on your Internet, you can host it on a public website,but you can do those things with a PDF form as well.

But here's something you can do with a PDFform, you can send it as a e-mail attachment.Maybe that's not all thatelegant, but it works, when it comes to capturing data, thereis a lot of commonality between HTML forms and PDF forms.If you need to perform validations, for example if you need to limit a value thatcan be put in a field or limit the entry to just numbers or just letters.You can do that in both HTML forms and PDF forms.If you need calculations, for example, in an order form,you can do that in HTML forms or PDF forms.

In both instances, you're going to have to write some code.But you'll find that in PDF forms, there are actually some buildin calculations in Acrobat that might save you from writing some code.There are some calculations that go beyond the basics, for those you'dneed to write a little JavaScript, don't be scared, I am nota programmer, you'll be surprised how much sense JavaScript makes and thereare tons of resources for gettingJavaScript to help you perform calculationsin forms.In order to submit data to a database, there has to be some programming.It's a sort of a throw and catch procedure, theform throws, some process on a server has to catch.

And that's going to to require a developer, so if you don't knowhow to do that, you're going to have to hire a developer.And that's whether your using HTML forms or PDF forms,think of the form as sort of the front door.You need that server process in order to massage that data andget it into a database.But PDFs can combine data into a spreadsheet.I guess you could call it sort of the poor man'sdatabase, but it works very well and is very easy to do.Here are two nice aspects of PDF forms, you can fill out a form off-line.Download the PDF, fill it out and you can save that filled out form.

And in fact, you could be partway through,save it, come back tomorrow and finish it up.So, to sum up what I think are the advantagesof PDF forms. You have design control.This is especially important if you're trying to mimica real world paper form that people are used to.That's a lot harder to do in HTML.And, in fact, you probably have the digital file for that form.You can easily convert that to a PDF form.It also means that, if you're not an HTML coder, youcan use programs that you're familiar with and create the PDF.And that means there's also no need to learn code formost functions.

You can deploy via the web, you can use Adobe's FormsCentral,you can put it up on your intranet, you can e-mail it.So are PDFs the perfect solution for every form?Well, probably not, but if you're notcomfortable creating HTML and you don't want tohire a developer, PDF forms are a great solution for most of your form needs.

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Released

10/29/2013

PDF forms are easier to design, distribute, and capture data than either web or print forms. Let Claudia McCue show you just how effortless PDF forms can be, in this Adobe Acrobat course. First, learn how to design a basic form in Word, Illustrator, or InDesign. Then Claudia shows you how to add interactive fields like check boxes, buttons, dropdown lists, and digital signature fields; how to add calculations that can total or average your data; and how to write some simple JavaScript that will unlock more advanced form functionality. Plus, learn how distribute your forms via email and on the web.

Topics include:

Designing forms

Exporting PDFs from Word, Illustrator, or InDesign

Creating and editing text fields, list boxes, and more

Adding buttons and check boxes

Converting frames to fields

Creating matrixes

Adding calculations

Enabling PDFs for Acrobat Reader

Skill Level Intermediate

3h 42m

Duration

256,641

Views

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Q: Forms Central is mentioned in the course but not covered. Why not?

A: Adobe decided to discontinue the feature, so we removed coverage of it from this course.